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The Virtual Physiological Human
One of the grand challenges in unravelling the mystery of how the human body works is
understanding how its various components – from the simplest single cell to the most
complex functioning organ or limb – work together, to form is single functioning entity.
The EC Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) initiative aims to support research
throughout Europe, in pursuit of this goal.
In recent years major advances have been made in understanding certain aspects of the
human body, as a complex system. Computer ‘models’ exist which can reproduce the
complexities of a beating heart, for example, and furthermore tell you what will happen
to that heart if it is exposed to a certain drug or kind of trauma. Models of other parts of
the body describing kidney function, joint and limb mechanics, and blood flow (amongst
others) all exist. The challenge faced by researchers is how to connect these models to
create a more effective and realistic simulation or the human body, both in health and
disease. It is the goal of the VPH initiative to create the research environment in which
progress in the investigation of the human body as a single complex system may be
achieved.
VPH models of the human body are both descriptive and predictive. They are formed by
large collections of anatomical, physiological, and pathological data stored in digital
format, by predictive simulations developed from these collections, and by services
aimed to support the researchers in the creation and maintenance of these models. They
also include services aimed to empower clinical, industrial and societal users in the use of
VPH-related information. As such coordination of the VPH Initiative is required on
many levels: from how the models work and connect, to how data is stored and accessed,
to who can use and develop these models, and how they will be used to improve
healthcare and drug discovery.
As part of the VPH Initiative, University College London has been awarded funding to
coordinate the VPH Network of Excellence (VPH NoE), the cornerstone to the VPH
initiative. Totalling 8M EUROS and including 12 other Universities from the UK,
France, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium and New Zealand, this is a project with
'service to the community' of VPH researchers as its primary purpose. Its aims range
from the development of a ‘VPH ToolKit’ and associated computational resources,
through integration of models and biological data across the various relevant levels of
structure and functional within the body, to VPH research community building and
support. The VPH NoE aims to foster the development of new and sustainable
educational, training and career structures for those involved in VPH related science,
technology and medicine, and will lay the foundations for a future Virtual Physiological
Human Institute.
The VPH NoE will lead the coordination of diverse activities within the VPH initiative as
a whole, the goal being to ultimately deliver new environments for predictive, patientspecific, evidence-based, more effective and safer healthcare; improved safe availability
and use of biomedical information and contribution to a common health information
infrastructure; on-demand access to high power distributed European computational
infrastructure to support clinical decision making; and increased European
multidisciplinary research excellence in biomedical informatics and molecular medicine
by fostering closer cooperation between ICT, medical device, medical imaging,
pharmaceutical and biotech companies.